1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an artificial bone template selection system which selects an artificial bone template suitable for the part of bone to be replaced by artificial bone out of a plurality of artificial bone templates prepared in advance. This invention further relates to an artificial bone template display system which displays artificial bone templates which have been prepared, an artificial bone template storage system which stores a plurality of artificial bone templates prepared in advance, and an artificial bone template recording medium for recording thereon artificial bone templates.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the orthopedic surgery, the oral surgery and the like, when a patient loses a part of a bone due to disease or accident or by a surgical removal as treatment for malignant tumor, the lost part of the bone has been replaced by his or her own bone of another part.
Recently, artificial bone (artificial hard tissue) of stainless steel, cobalt-chrome series alloy, metal such as titanium, aluminum or zirconium, oxide of these metals, ceramic such as apatite, or composite material of these materials has been put into practical use as substitution for the lost part of the bone.
Artificial bone which is to be embedded in place of the lost part of the bone is produced on the basis of a standard model which is selected, on the basis of the shape of the part to be replaced by the artificial bone, out of a plurality of standard models which have been prepared, in advance, in different shapes.
Conventionally, the standard models are stored in the form of real templates representing the contours of the standard models (e.g., templates formed of transparent plastic sheets), and the real templates are superposed on an image of the lost part of the bone in sequence and whether each of the templates conforms to the lost part of the bone is visually checked.
However, since the standard models are prepared at intervals of 1 mm of the diameter of the bone head (the head of the bone) or the length of the bone shaft or the bone holder and at intervals of 1xc2x0 of the angle between the bone shaft and the bone holder, the number of the standard models or the real templates is numerous, and accordingly, to select one template in the conventional way is a time-consuming and labor-consuming process.
Further, since being manually superposed on the image of the lost part of the bone in a limited time interval, each template cannot be accurately aligned with the image of the lost part and an optimal standard model or template cannot be constantly selected.
Further, since numerous templates must be kept at hand, management of the templates is troublesome.
In view of the foregoing observations and description, the primary object of the present invention is to provide an artificial bone template selection system which can efficiently select an artificial bone template suitable for the part of bone to be replaced by artificial bone out of a plurality of artificial bone templates prepared in advance.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an artificial bone template display system which displays artificial bone templates in such a manner that a suitable template can be selected in a shorter time, and management of templates can be facilitated.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a template data storage system which stores electronic data on the templates in such a manner that a suitable template can be selected in a shorter time.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a computer-readable recording medium which stores electronic data on the templates in such a manner that a suitable template can be selected in a shorter time.
In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an artificial bone template selection system comprising a template data storage means in which template data representing a plurality of templates representing a plurality of artificial bones of different shapes is stored, a bone shape measuring means which measures the shape of bone to be replaced by artificial bone on the basis of bone image data representing an image including the bone to be replaced by artificial bone, and a prospective template selection means which selects, as a prospective template, at least one template the shape of which substantially conforms to the shape of the bone to be replaced by artificial bone as measured by the bone shape measuring means out of the plurality of templates represented by the template data.
Preferably, there are provided a display means which displays the bone image representing the shape of the bone to be replaced by the artificial bone and an image of the prospective template(s) selected by the prospective template selection means and a display control means which causes the display means to display the bone image and the image of the prospective template superposed one on another.
In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an artificial bone template selection system comprising a template data storage means in which template data representing a plurality of templates representing a plurality of artificial bones of different shapes is stored, a bone image display means which displays the bone image representing the shape of the bone to be replaced by the artificial bone, a feature point designating means which designates on the bone image displayed by the bone image display means a feature point representing the shape of the bone, a bone shape specifying means which specifies the shape of the bone on the basis of the feature point designated by the feature point designating means, and a prospective template selection means which selects, as a prospective template, at least one template the shape of which substantially conforms to the shape of the bone specified by the bone shape specifying means out of the plurality of templates represented by the template data.
The artificial bone template selection system in accordance with the second aspect of the present invention differs from that of the first aspect of the present invention in that the former specifies the shape of the bone to be replaced by the artificial bone on the basis of a feature point designated on the image of the bone displayed by the display means whereas the latter specifies the shape of the bone to be replaced by the artificial bone on the basis of the bone image data.
As the feature point representing the shape of the bone, the center of the bone head, the edge of the bone head, the longitudinal ends of the bone shaft and the bone holder, and the like may be used. By designating the center and the edge of the bone head, the diameter of the bone head can be specified, and by designating the longitudinal ends of the bone shaft and the bone holder, the lengths of the bone shaft and the bone holder and the angle therebetween can be specified. Further, when the diameter of the bone head, the lengths of the bone shaft and the bone holder and the angle therebetween are specified, the overall shape of the bone can be specified.
Preferably there are provided a display means which displays an image of the prospective template(s) selected by the prospective template selection means and a display control means which causes the display means to display the bone image and the image of the prospective template superposed one on another.
When the bone image and the image of the prospective template are displayed superposed one on another in the artificial bone template selection system in accordance with the first or second aspect of the present invention, it is preferred that an image processing means which carries out image processing on at least one of the images displayed by the display means so that their shapes can be more clearly discriminated be provided, and the image processed by the image processing means is displayed in the processed condition.
The expression xe2x80x9cso that their shapes can be more clearly discriminatedxe2x80x9d means xe2x80x9cso that discrimination between the shapes of the prospective templates is facilitatedxe2x80x9d (in the case where a plurality of prospective templates are selected) as well xe2x80x9cso that discrimination between the shapes of the prospective template and the bone image is facilitatedxe2x80x9d.
In the artificial bone template selection system in accordance with the first or second aspect of the present invention, it is preferred that an order information output means which outputs, for instance, a data file on information for ordering artificial bone corresponding to the template selected by the prospective template selection means, e.g., maker, model number, number, delivery time, place of delivery, and the like, be provided.
The information for ordering the artificial bone need not be for all the prospective templates selected by the prospective template selection means but may be for only a final template which is finally selected from the prospective templates selected by the prospective template selection means.
The template data used in the artificial bone template selection system in accordance with the first or second aspect of the present invention is preferably prepared not only for storing images of the templates as electronic data but also for facilitating retrieval and shape matching. For example, the template data preferably comprises an image file in which a plurality of pieces of image data each representing one template are recorded and a shape data file in which a plurality of pieces of shape data (e.g., vector data) each representing a feature of the shape of a template are recorded in correlation with the image data for the template.
The template data comprising the image data and the shape data may be provided recorded on a computer-readable recording medium.
In the artificial bone template selection system in accordance with the first aspect of the present invention, one or more prospective templates, the shape of which substantially conforms to the shape of the bone to be replaced, can be automatically selected without visually checking whether each of the templates conforms to the bone or manually superposing each of the templates on the image of bone, whereby one or more standard artificial bone can be selected easily in a short time.
Further, when the bone image and the image of the prospective template are displayed superposed one on another, whether the prospective template is really suitable for the bone to be replaced can be judged observing the superposed image. In this case, since the number of the prospective templates is limited by the automatic selection, a template most optimal to the bone can be easily and quickly selected.
In the artificial bone template selection system in accordance with the second aspect of the present invention, one or more prospective templates, the shape of which substantially conforms to the shape of the bone to be replaced, can be automatically selected even if the bone is too complicated in shape for the artificial bone template selection system in accordance with the first aspect of the present invention to select a template suitable for the bone.
As in the artificial bone selection system in accordance with the first aspect of the present invention, when the bone image and the image of the prospective template are displayed superposed one on another, whether the prospective template is really suitable for the bone to be replaced can be judged observing the superposed image. In this case, since the number of the prospective templates is limited by the automatic selection, a template most optimal to the bone can be easily and quickly selected.
Further, in both the artificial bone template selection systems in accordance with the first and second aspects of the present invention, since a template data storage means in which template data representing a plurality of templates representing a plurality of artificial bones of different shapes is stored in the form of electronic data is used, management of the templates becomes unnecessary.
Further, in both the artificial bone template selection systems in accordance with the first and second aspects of the present invention, when an image processing means which carries out image processing on at least one of the images displayed by the display means so that their shapes can be more clearly discriminated is provided and the image processed by the image processing means is displayed in the processed condition, the bone image and the image of the prospective template can be easily discriminated from each other, which permits the operator to more accurately locate the images with respect to each other in a short time. Further, a template most optimal to the bone can be easily and quickly selected, and at the same time, relative position between the images can be more finely adjusted, whereby most optimal template can be surely selected.
Further, when the artificial bone template system is provided with an order information output means which outputs, information for ordering artificial bone corresponding to the template selected by the prospective template selection means, an automatic artificial bone order system which automatically orders artificial bone as soon as the prospective template selection processing can be realized. When the system is incorporated in a network such as using the internet, the user such as a doctor, a medical engineer and the like can directly trade with a maker or an agency without intervening therebetween a broker.